GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Members of the jury appeared undecided on how to rule on federal murder charges that hung over 17-year-old Beck Martin’s head initially.

State prosecutors had the burden of proof to convince a jury of her peers that Martin had killed her classmate, 17-year-old Anne Marcus. Marcus suffered severe head trauma while she was rock climbing off a steep cliff, but prosecutors suspected foul play.

According to an eyewitness, the day and time of her death aligned with an argument between Martin and Marcus near the place of her death. Investigators found a palm-sized rock near her body covered in Marcus’ blood, according to lab tests.

The jury remained undecided until prosecutors called Martin’s friend, Cody Ward, who had driven her to Ballena Beach – the location of Marcus’ death – that night.

“I drove us back to the city. On the way back, I turned on my car’s interior lights to look for something and I noticed a small spot on inside of Beck’s right wrist. It looked like dried blood,” Ward said.

The audience shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Last Friday’s revelatory court case wasn’t a win for the court system or the prosecution team, however. It was a win for Clay County’s Teen Court Mock Trial Team in a drag-out – but altogether fake court trial fight between volunteer teenagers from Clay, Flagler and Volusin counties vying to be mock trial champions.

The Clay County team won best team overall among other awards.

The Feb. 24 win marks the first time in six years the Clay County team has won best team at the event held at the Clay County Courthouse in Green Cove Springs.

“This year we pretty much swept the awards,” said Debbie Mueller, Teen Court coordinator. “It was a big deal for us to win.”

Mock trials keep the student prosecutors and defense attorneys interested in the program as well as offer a chance to grow and just to have healthy competition.

During all mock trials, participants present their cases in courtrooms before actual judges with attorneys and others from the legal system.

The prosecution, defense and witnesses are scored on how well they perform through their acting skills, grasp of the legal system and overall case made for their client.

Teams represent the prosecution and defense arguments over the course of the competition. This forces the participants to prepare cases and familiarize themselves with the subject matter in a similar method to a real attorney case.

“It teaches them all kinds of awesome skills like public speaking, teamwork, leadership, integrity commitment – everything. The point isn’t to become attorneys in real life, although some do, the point is to teach them the skill set they will need for the career path they decide upon,” Mueller said.

Training for mock trials begin in August. The American Bar Association develops the case material annually. Teenagers filled roles from witnesses to attorneys, totaling 17 participants in all. However, many of the volunteers spend their time in the teen courts’ main purpose, as a kind-of truancy diversion program for young adults who may only have a minor brush with the law and the life-changing punishments that can come from a real court.

An actual judge finds all participants guilty, and all of the children who receive punishment from teen court trials have been judged guilty in an actual court of law and then move to teen court to decide a fair punishment for their crimes.

Student jurors must also decide an equitable punishment for the delinquent. The punishments usually involve a combination of community service, jury duty and peer counseling.

“I call it the revolving door of the juvenile justice system, so I do believe teen court programs are much more beneficial,” said Catherine Williams, a two-year teen court attorney veteran and senior at Fleming Island High. “I actually wrote all of my college entrance essays about teen court – it made that much of an impact on me.”

Williams served as team captain during this year’s mock trials and won best defense attorney in the event’s second round. Teen Court saves taxpayer dollars by diverting children from juvenile jail time.

When the court holds a juvenile in detention and supervises that juvenile, which can total as much as $300 a day per juvenile housed. And, since Clay County does not own a juvenile detention center, juveniles must be transported to Jacksonville facilities when incarceration is required after an arrest – an aspect that impacts county budgets.

The program lacks volunteers however, something both Mueller and Williams remain aware and concerned about. A skeleton crew runs the program, and Williams said her hope is that Clay County’s recent win could help drum up more support for future volunteer involvement in the program.